full moon

There have been many shifts in the planetary positions since July 13th where the New Moon began in the last degrees of Sidereal Gemini.

As I shared in the New Moon Report, it began a new cycle of exploring Conscious Communication and evolving from being entertained towards finding peace and love. Coming at the tail end of Gemini serves to evolve our communication through the natural path of the Zodiac. The seeds of communication were planted in Gemini and then the Sun and Moon both moved into Sidereal Cancer. So the prior explorations and curiosities from the time of the Sun and Moon in Gemini shift into Cancer where more emotion and feeling are connected to those experiences.

Cancer is where we feel our vulnerability and explore our relationship to nurturing others. It can also invite an opening to intuition. And it is where we learn the lessons of connecting to others through the Heart. And through this exploration, we come to find peace within out own emotional nature.

All of this energy is also being played out in our cycles of communication, begun by the New Moon. And so for the past almost 2 weeks, the Sun and Mercury, which were together for the start of the cycle in Gemini, have transitioned into Cancer. Here our the Sun as Power, confidence and sense of individuality has been placed into the open emotional space of Cancer. Along with Mercury, as our capacity for speech and communication.

While the invitation here is to learn to express our Soul’s Power and communicate from a place of emotional openness and authentic vulnerability, that doesn’t always feel so easy or safe for most of us. The results of the past 2 weeks may be that some may have instead felt emotionally vulnerable and protective. If we haven’t been able to stay firmly planted in the Soul’s power, then instead of communicating from the Heart, we may have been more inclined to be emotionally reactive or emotionally clingy. No matter how you have handled it, you may have been aware of feeling a little more sensitive or emotionally aware these past couple of weeks.

The question, of course, is how did you handle this vibrational environment? Have you kicked and cried and thrown tantrums? Have you felt a strong need to connect to others to feel more safe and secure? Have you mustered up the confidence to speak honestly about how you are feeling and what your needs are?

During these last couple of weeks, Mercury also moved past Mars. Mars was in Gemini at the start of the New Moon, bringing some potential conflicts and arguments. But the movement past Mars shows that many conflicts are now given the opportunity to be let go. Have some communication challenges, or conflicts of power begun to soften for you? Perhaps getting to a softer, more compassionate perspective on the situation.

And on July 25th, Venus went retrograde. This retrograde motion shows that the collective Karmic energy is being given a chance to reflect over the nature of our relationships and our happiness. Venus is the natural indicator for relationships. It is where we find pleasure and happiness through our outer experiences of life. A major Venus lesson is learning how to compromise with others in relationship. It evolves from seeking selfish pleasure at the expense of others towards an understanding that compromise brings a greater sense of satisfaction and happiness. After all, if both people are happy with their shared situation, then more happiness can come from it for both people. Out of this lesson around compromise, Venus ultimately evolves into a more selfless expression of Devotion towards the Sacred in life and in those we are in relationship with.

This retrograde Venus period gives you the opportunity to reflect and introspect on your own relationships, your happiness and the degree to which you are able to compromise and share happiness with another instead of demanding that your own happiness be fulfilled without considering how that will affect others. Because Venus is sharing the sign of Leo with Jupiter, we have the opportunity to link our higher principles, wisdoms and teachings to this inner reflection and truly come out the other side as a better partner and friend. But. the inspired and regal energy of Leo can also cause Venus to be a “little Queen” or “little King” around pleasure, and be inclined to “issue royal orders” for how her “subjects should please her”.

As Venus is retrograde, we are given the opportunity to reflect on how this demanding “serve my pleasure” energy may be showing up in your life and in your relationships, and to evolve towards greater compromise and to more balanced relationships which are based upon mutual respect and a shared higher vision of Principles and even Spiritual Values.

And through all of these changes, the Moon has continued her movement through the Zodiac, and will move into Capricorn on July 30th and reach the height of Full Moon on July 31st.

The Full Moon is an integration and balance point for the New Moon Cycles. With all of the above energies still at play, the Moon moving into Capricorn is an opportunity for us to strengthen our own sense of emotional boundaries in communication and in relationship to others.

In Cancer we learn to feel our Inner Heart and open to emotions and Love, but that fullness and openness can create vulnerability all by itself. While Tantra encourages us all to develop an open heart that is capable of accepting self and others, the reality is that everything in the Universal experience must find balance. Being that open doesn’t always feel safe. And for some, that feeling of vulnerability is likely to cause them to simply shut down and not want to feel deeply at all.

What the Cosmic wisdom of the Zodiac reveals is how to balance through opposite signs. The reality is that it is NOT always appropriate to be vulnerable and open. The old saying of “wearing your heart on your sleeve” can certainly lead to being taken advantage of and being hurt. At the same time, there ARE times when it IS appropriate and rewarding to have our hearts more open. And Cancer’s lesson of finding safety in opening the heart comes through the lesson of Capricorn.

In Capricorn, we learn how to set boundaries and to create a more practical structure to our emotions and interactions. Of course, if we only used the Capricorn energy, then we would simply build a wall around the Heart and never feel again. But this Full Moon invites is to learn to balance.

As the Sun and Mercury sit in Cancer, inviting more vulnerability and feeling to our Soul and Communication, the Moon is taken into Capricorn at the height of its Fullness. Here the feeling sense is stabilized and the lesson of creating emotional boundaries is experienced. In the proper balance, we can learn to easily and safely flow between healthy levels of feeling and emotional vulnerability and also being able to set boundaries to keep the heart appropriately protected when needed.

The Moon here also invites us to make peace with a greater level of solitude, where we can still experience peace in isolation rather than feeling the clingy need to always be connected to someone else. It also supports stabilizing our emotions and learning how to create a practical path through life. You should also be aware that the influence of Saturn as both Capricorn’s Ruler and its aspect on the Moon from Scorpio may also bring some nervousness or fears to the surface. So do be mindful that the boundaries you are creating are not from some fearful place, but instead seek to use your deeper wisdom and intuition to set boundaries as a way of evolving the Moon’s capacity to connect to others and strengthen your connection to deeper Peace and Love.

As the integration point for the New Moon which started in Gemini, you are given the chance to explore communicating healthy boundaries and needs while also exploring how you can be appropriately vulnerable and emotionally connected to others. All of this happening, while Retrograde Venus is creating introspection on your experience of relationships, compromise and the pursuit of pleasure and happiness.

I encourage you to use this time to pay attention to your need for self reflection, as well as finding that balance of seeking solitude when needed. As you strengthen your own self awareness, you can develop the capacity to remain peaceful, loving and balanced in your relationships and interactions with others. You can learn to feel more fully the love and emotional connections with those around you, while also setting healthy boundaries to ensure that only those that share the same vision of mutual respect are allowed into your inner heart. And from that place, evolve your capacity to communicate your needs, hopes and desires.

Be sure to notice these themes in yourself, as well as how those around you are reacting to these Collective Karmic trends.

What have your experiences been during this time?

—The above is a general Vedic Astrology Forecast. It discusses the shifts that are happening at the level of the Collective experience, as well as how you can use that Collective energy for your own growth and evolution.

For a detailed reading of how the Planetary cycles will impact you personally, you should schedule a private Vedic Astrology Reading.